Magic Can't Escape The Pain Game

Six weeks into the season, and the Magic have nine wins. That's 1.8 wins for every pin and plate inside Grant Hill's left ankle.

The official breakdown is four pins, one plate and one motto.

"It just seems like you take one step forward and now another step back."

So said Hill after Tuesday night's loss in Seattle. Six weeks ago, he said he was taking two steps forward and two back. At this rate, he'll be moonwalking like Michael Jackson by the All-Star break.

It's become painfully obvious he's not going to be Grant Hill any time soon. How painful? Only Hill knows for sure. But the more he limps, the more tempting it is to find a bad guy in this season's leading medical mystery.

Is Hill suffering from Penny Hardaway Syndrome, the dreaded disease in which injuries go to your head? Did the Magic invest $92.88 million in damaged goods? Did surgeons implant a metal plate or fine china?

"The last thing we need is for anyone to start pointing fingers," General Manager John Gabriel said.

It's way too early to say signing Hill was a mistake. Only frustration is setting in. The season was hyped around Hill and Tracy McGrady. One has been as good as the other has been invisible.

The season's other official motto has become "When Grant gets back . . ." It seemed the West Coast trip was it. The Magic had won four in a row, they finally had Hill back and they faced the Clippers.

They lost, mainly because everybody stood around waiting for the new guy to do his thing. There's going to be a breaking-in period. That process was delayed again Tuesday night, when Hill had to take himself out of the Seattle game.

By Wednesday, we at least found out the answer to what would happen first -- Al Gore leaving or Grant Hill returning? The growing question is whether Hill is as determined as Gore was.

Questioning his toughness is not fair, but it comes with this territory. Hill's ankle checks out fine. It's just a matter of dealing with the soreness and seeing what his limits are.

Nobody knows Hill's pain unless they've limped a mile in his Filas. If anything, Hill's eagerness to return has set him back. If he's not right in a couple of more months, it will be fair to start pointing fingers and wondering whether the Magic got snookered. For now, the waiting is the hardest part.

Last year's team won on no-name chemistry. Everything changed with McGrady. It's strange how he's played so hard and so well, yet the team can't find last year's spark. This new chemical mixture is going to take time.

It would help if, like last year, the Magic knew what they had every night. With Hill, there is no resolution. He's like a lifeline they can see but not reach.

No matter how much Doc Rivers preaches they can't wait around for Hill, players can't help thinking, "When Grant gets back . . ." Only there's no telling when that will be.

They'd be better off knowing whether he's in or out. That way, whatever chemistry there is could start evolving. Instead, they are in a holding pattern of hope. Pretending Hill's not there is about as easy as walking on pins and a plate of needles.

"There is no resolution, other than trial and limit," Gabriel said. "It's that rather than trial and error. We have to find out what the limits are."

To Hill's pain, not to mention the fans' patience.

It's been six weeks, and the Magic still are taking one step back for every one forward. Getting nowhere is not how this season was supposed to go.